Journey by Cyclone: Unexpected (An Emerald City fanfic)
by HybridVigor999
Summary: Spoilers for Season 1, Emerald City (unfortunately discontinued by the network! boo!) Dorothy arrives back in Kansas, but has brought back more than just memories or her time in Oz. Aunt Em supports her and tries to reach past her defenses, and then someone makes an unexpected appearance.
1. Chapter 1

I just binge watched Emerald City, and I'm really disappointed to find out almost immediately after finishing season 1 that the network cancelled the show! Boo! Emerald City and all it's characters belong to NBC. Here is my idea of what might have been, tweaking the last part of the last episode a bit, and starting out my imaginary Season Two. Leave me a comment if you liked it! -HybridVigor999

* * *

It had been almost a month since Karen and Dorothy had been taken to the hospital after a serious and unpredicted twister touchdown. What the police could pieced together from their accounts and whatever hadn't blown away from the scene was that Karen interrupted a robbery in progress, officers responded, Dorothy arrived on scene just as a tornado touched down. They never found the robbers or the officers involved, but figured their remains would eventually turn up as debris in whatever path the twister took.

Karen had been in intensive care in a coma since the incident. She'd lost quite a lot of blood from the gunshot wound that had also clipped her spine. Dorothy said she could not to remember the 10 minutes during which the tornado had raged above the cellar, and they chalked it up to head trauma. Emergency responders had asked Dorothy a few pointed questions about the deep, hand-shaped bruising around her neck, cut and bruised face and other assorted injuries. One of the docs was pretty well acquainted with Dorothy, and had seen her at work within the last 36 hours, making the half-healed wounds that looked weeks old very odd indeed.

Since there was no forthcoming answers, they just made their notes and asked their screening questions for domestic abuse. Dorothy didn't have any answers-and she wasn't even casually dating according to nurse friends and close family. She seemed impatient with triage, and declined bloodwork and deeper looks at her own injuries, using her leverage as a nurse to speed the process along so she could get to Karen's bedside.

Life settled down a bit, but Aunt Em was worried. Something seemed terribly wrong, but Dorothy wouldn't open up about it. The bruises faded, some slower than others, and Dorothy even went back to work within the week, putting on a brave smile before heading out in her patterned scrubs. She would come home after every shift, and shut herself up in her room. Aunt Em was beside herself, pestering her husband with questions instead of Dorothy until he muttered Spanish underneath his breath and took to sitting on the porch with a newspaper.

This morning though, she'd heard some odd noises from Dorothy in the bathroom-maybe crying but Em couldn't be sure. After that, the younger woman had come out in her favorite gray tanktop and jeans, and wandered into the kitchen to fill a glass of water at the kitchen sink. She looked pale as she stared out the bright window. Aunt Em puttered around the living room for a few minutes before approaching Dorothy.

"Dorothy, hon…"

Dorothy had been bracing herself against the rim of the sink, but when she heard Aunt Em approaching, she straightened up and brushed her dark, wavy hair away from her face. When she turned around with a fake smile, Em could see she'd splashed cold water on her face, and she had dark circles under her eyes.

"Good morning," she chirped.  
"Oh my dear, come here…" Unable to hold back after seeing the desolate expression in Dorothy's eyes behind the fake cheer, Aunt Em wrapped her arms around her.

"I wish you would tell me what's wrong, Dorothy. I can't help you, if you don't let me in."

The young woman finally broke down and sobbed, pressing her face into the older woman's shoulder. Her slim frame, now more gaunt than before, shook as she cried. She didn't resist as her aunt led her to the old 50's dining set and helped her sit down.

"I'm sorry. I guess the attack on Karen, meeting her like that, the twister...I haven't really gotten over it. You don't need to worry about me," said Dorothy, as she scrubbed the tears from her cheeks with the heels of her palm.

"Dorothy, please. I can tell there's something more. You barely knew about Karen before you met her, and now you still barely speak of her. You go quiet so often these days, and I can tell you're dropping weight."

Dorothy watched her aunt as she got up and paced toward the cupboard that held the mugs, thinking about what to say, what could be believed. Her time in Oz was hard, painful, and left her with inexplicable scars, both physical and invisible. She had lived weeks in Oz, and only ten minutes had passed in this world… There was no way to tell Aunt Em that she had lived and loved more within that 10 minutes than she had in her entire 20 years. She thought about what to say as she listened to the familiar sounds of her aunt opening and closing cupboards, ceramic clicking onto the formica counters.

Aunt Em poured coffee into two mugs, and picked up Dorothy's favorite red mug to bring over to her.

"You're right. There's something else, a lot more. I found out Karen isn't my mom, and so much more that I can't explain right now. I'm trying to be okay though."  
"Karen isn't your mother? Is that what this is about? Oh my lord-"

As her aunt put the mug of steaming coffee in front of her, the strong sweetly bitter scent rose up and struck a discordant note between her nose and her belly. Her stomach roiled, and she gagged. Slapping a hand over her mouth, she stood so quickly, she knocked the chair back and barely made it to the sink before violently vomiting.

She heaved over and over again, arms draped over the edges of the sink. She felt her aunt's cool hands pulling her hair away from her face and rubbing her back. When the nausea finally passed, leaving her shaking and sobbing, she slid down to the kitchen floor, the worn linoleum tiles firm and steadying beneath her.

"Dorothy," Aunt Em hesitated, crouching and carefully sitting beside her adopted daughter. "How long have you been throwing up? Did I hear you this morning in the bathroom?"

Dorothy nodded, but couldn't find the words. _I've been nauseous and throwing up for weeks. I'm pregnant. He tried to kill me, and I'm pregnant._ There was no way to give voice to those thoughts. Her luminous brown eyes were filled with tears as she looked at the compassionate expression on her aunt's face.

"Do you need me to go with you to buy a test?" Aunt Em didn't ask any more questions than Dorothy could handle at the moment, and she was so grateful.

She nodded again, and they both stood up together.

"You go and get some air for a moment while I grab my purse and the car keys. We're going to be just fine, no matter what, okay?" With one last touch to Dorothy's shoulder, she turned and went into the house.

Dorothy stepped out, pushing the screen door open, quietly walked the length of the porch, and stepped out toward the garden and the cornfields where the glaring sun highlighted the silhouette of their old scarecrow flapping in the breeze.

A shadowy cloud loomed over a distant stretch of land, and Dorothy shaded her eyes to look across the rolling fields of yellow. A familiar german shepherd lay panting. Reality started to warp around Dorothy as she felt some hair-raising barometric shift.

Oh no.

When she turned, he was there. Lucas-no, _ROAN_.

Part of her wanted to pounce on him and drink him up like the last clear, cool oasis in a hundred year desert. Part of her wanted to run, pictured his hands around her neck again, the darkening around the edges of her vision as he screamed at HER to stop HIM.

Her eyes rolled back, and she never even felt the ground as it rushed to meet her.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm still disappointed about Emerald City being cancelled. Honestly, it was a breath of fresh air. Anyways, thanks for reading and following along. Please let me know what you think! Characters and story belong to NBC. -HybridVigor999

* * *

Toto stood over her. The sky stretched out as far as she could see, glimpsed between brown furry legs. She heard a deep, rumbling growl. Blunt doggie nails pressed into her thighs as Toto shifted, stepping on her.

The ringing in her ears subsided slowly as she turned her head to see what Toto was growling at. A pair of scuffed leather boots shifted with their owners. Dorothy blinked again, and everything came into sharp focus.

"You, get away from her!" screamed Aunt Em. Toto barked sharply again and again.

She shoved the densely muscled beast aside and sat up. Toto backed up to her, still barking at Roan, who Dorothy could see had both hands out and was trying to talk the dog down. At the same time, Aunt Em had dropped her purse and run back into the house. Dorothy stood, still a little dizzy and glared at the man at the edge of the garden.

"What are you doing here?!" she yelled over Toto's arrhythmic barks.  
"I'm not here to hurt you, just tell the dog to stop!"  
"I should let him rip you apart, Luca-Roan, whoever you are!"  
"Dorothy, please. I didn't come to hurt you. I was sent to-" BARK, BARK! "I owe you an-"

A deafening BANG shocked the air, and everyone, even Toto flinched and went quiet. Aunt Em was holding the shotgun they kept at the bottom of the storage bench by door to the back porch. She leveled it at the tall stranger, shouting, "NOT ANOTHER STEP!"

"Peace, please madam!"  
"Get. Away. From. My. Daughter." She punctuated the last word by pumping the shotgun.  
"Her mother? But I thought…"  
"I am not playing, mister."

Roan turned toward Dorothy, who was touching Toto's raised hackles and narrowly eyeing him. The sight of her wary expression forced another crack in his facade, and his strong jaw clenched. He looked sad. Dorothy felt no sympathy at the moment, her right hand unconsciously curled protectively over her low abdomen.

"Ma'am, I came upon Dorothy, and she fainted. I did her no harm-"  
"No, you don't get to say that. You DID ME NO HARM?! You don't get to say that!" Dorothy gripped Toto's collar firmly with her left hand, trying to anchor herself. Trying not to reach up and touch her throat where the last yellow marks of faded bruising could still be seen.

"Dorothy, honey, come back over by me, okay?" Aunt Em called out.  
Dorothy backed away from Roan, pulling Toto with her. She backed up until she was behind her aunt and the long barrel of the gun.  
"He's the one who hurt you?" She asked, not turning her head.  
"He's…" Dorothy trailed off. She couldn't decide what he was. Her ex-lover? Her attempted murderer? Most likely the sperm donor? She opened her mouth a few times, and no noise came out.  
"I came to apologize to Dorot-"  
"Nobody asked you! Dorothy, do you have your cell phone? Please call the police."  
"Aunt Em, I don't think the police can...There's something I didn't tell you."

"We don't have time for this, Dorothy. Your mother is in danger. I was sent to come get you." He turned to Aunt Em, hands still palms out and in the air, "Madame, I promise on my life, I will not harm Dorothy, and I was sent on a mission of importance. I am-was an officer-"  
"Don't say another word, Roan. I was just starting to believe it was all a dream, and here you are." Dorothy stopped him before he mentioned the Wizard or magic. She was not ready for any parts of her worlds to collide, and especially not with Aunt Em holding a shotgun.

"Dorothy, is he…? He's an officer? You got that police coat from him?" Her aunt lowered the barrel just slightly. "Did Karen take a turn for the worse?"  
"Dorothy's mother is in grave danger, and I've been sent to retrieve Dorothy. I have behaved in a harmful manner towards her in the past, but I came to apologize and do my duty. Please allow me a moment."

Dorothy eyed Roan distrustfully, but didn't contradict him. Her aunt put the barrel of the shotgun down, and turned to look at her adopted daughter's face. Something there, something she'd never seen before was very telling. No break up had ever caused Dorothy so much pain, anger, and betrayal. Underneath it all was a deeper emotional reaction to anyone than Em had ever seen from the young woman.

"Dorothy, if Karen is in trouble, I can take you to the hospital myself. Officer or not, you don't seem comfortable with him. And we can stop any time to get...the thing we talked about. Or do that at the hospital when we get a minute."  
"Actually Aunty, will you go get what I need from the store, and I'll ride with the officer? I need to talk to him." Dorothy's voice was sharp and cold as shattered ice.

Aunt Em didn't bother apologizing to the young, rough looking man with scars and a strange accent. Officer or not, he didn't seem to deserve an apology. Not based on Dorothy's reaction. She walked back a few steps and placed the shotgun into Dorothy's hands.

"I'll get the things. I'll be waiting at home when you get back from seeing Karen." She leaned in close to Dorothy's ear and whispered, "I don't give a shit if he's a deputy or whatever. If he hurt you, and he tries again, shoot him. If it's something you can both work out, work it out...especially if you're sure about…" She darted her eyes down toward Dorothy's abdomen. And then she kissed her cheek, and said, "I love you, pumpkin. Call me if you need anything. See you when I see you."

She turned and looked at Roan with narrowed eyes.  
"What's your name, Officer?"  
"Lucas. My name is Lucas," he answered, startling Dorothy.  
"I expect you to bring Dorothy back, unharmed and in good spirits, Lucas."  
"Yes, ma'am."

Aunt Em picked up her purse, and walked to her tan colored sedan. Dorothy and Lucas stood facing each other as they listened to the car drive away. His eyes darted toward the vehicle as it raised a line of dust along their gravel road, headed into town.

"What manner of carriage was that?"  
"Oh no. I'm not doing this with you. Not now. Tell me what's happening, Roan." Dorothy crossed her arms, and Toto sat down and started panting at her side.  
"Call me Lucas. Please. I've given up who and what Roan stood for, and I've come to tell you that I can never undo the harm that I caused-"  
"No you can't. And you don't have to because it will NEVER matter again, do you hear me?"

His jaw muscles clenched, and she could see the cords on his neck stand out for a moment before he exhaled. He nodded. Lucas seemed painfully resigned to her hostility.

"When you said my mom's in trouble, you meant Jane, didn't you?"  
"Yes, the council of witches sent me to retrieve you to fight the Beast Forever. Jane and almost all of Emerald City, except the witches, are his captives."  
"Why do they need me? Why did they send YOU?"  
"They said they need all the Cardinal witches in order to defeat him, and you still hold East's powers. They sent me because Glinda has no further use for me. I failed to…" He made a very small gesture toward her. "After Eamonn found me and cut me down, I went back to Glinda and disavowed her. Said she should never have sent me to harm you, and that I would never rest until I'd atoned."

Dorothy cocked her head sideways, raising one arched brow.  
"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to live past that either," he said. "She didn't take it well-"

"Y'know what? How about you just tell me less about you and your WIFE, and tell me more about the Beast Forever, and my mother," she ordered. She imagined his tall, broad shouldered frame, bloodied with a knife in his side, covered in filth and strung up. She felt the visceral scrape of knife against rib, the resistance of flesh as she sunk the blade in, and she shuddered, nearly gagging.

"Dorothy, are you unwell?" Lucas took two steps forward, reaching toward her, but stopped short as the double barrel of the shotgun came up to meet him.  
"I'm fine. Stay back."

Lucas obeyed, backing up a few steps. Still holding the gun in both hands, she inhaled, tried to center herself and calm her stomach, and tossed some of her long, wavy dark hair back out of her face. She looked at the concern on his face, and thought about how easily his old memories had overwhelmed his previously unwavering loyalty and devotion. She couldn't trust him. Thought he'd hurt her, he still hadn't deceived her purposefully. Likely everything he was saying was true.

"I need to do one thing, and then I can decide if I'm going back to Oz." Dorothy thought of the purchase Aunt Em was probably making at the drugstore in town right that moment, and she needed to know for certain. It had been too hard to even think about before, but now, looking at the intense and familiar face, the strong jaw, the concern and regret on his face...Considering going back to Oz was no light matter.

"I would grant you any boon you asked, but unfortunately, we are to journey by cyclone, and I do not know when it will appear. Dorothy, I'm sorry."

He glanced over his shoulder behind him, and Dorothy's low level attention to the dark clouds off in the distance sharpened into a tingling awareness. The hands gripped around the shotgun sparkled, catching the light of the sun with gold filigree and precious jewels. East's magic was making itself known, and the storm breathed and purred and coiled in the distant sky. And then she could feel it, the power of the coming storm, the speed as it raced on winds toward them.

Toto whined and sidled closer to her leg. The wind kicked up, blowing bits of hay and leaves, whipping through Lucas's long coat, wrapping tendrils of her hair over her cheek and nose. She narrowed her eyes, and turned into the flow of the breeze, letting the wild wind pull her hair from her face like a concerned lover.

"For real? I just wanted to do ONE DAMN THING."  
"It's here! If you don't want to go, use your magic and settle the storm!" They started to need to shout in order to be heard at this point. An anvil shaped cloud swirled, all dark grays, blues, purples.  
"I have to go back. I have to finish this!" She couldn't leave Jane to die.  
"Dorothy...we need to…hold on to one another…"  
"No, don't touch me!"  
"Dorothy, we need to hang onto each other!"

He'd hurried up closer, closing the distance quickly, but staying out of arm's reach. She shook her head 'no,' and leaned down to put her fingers through Toto's collar. As a funnel shape descended from the dark cloud, Lucas stepped in, kneeling, and gripped the other side of the dog's collar. Toto was shaking, pushing his head in between Dorothy's knees, and the tumultuous wind reached a peak, gripping at them, tearing at their skin, and stealing their breath.

It lifted them all.  
And away they went.


End file.
